Back in February, when the Covid-19 pandemic was nothing to worry about yet on the European continent, the Cyclops management team headed off to the zoo of Planckendael for a brainstorm session. Critical self-reflection led to the conclusion that we had built a ship that so far had brought us successfully where we wanted to go. But was it ready to face the upcoming stormy weather? We identified the need for a strategic session to redefine or re-emphasize our long-term vision, mission, values and strategic goals. We planned to launch it later this year.
A few weeks later, the Covid-19 storm hit us right in the face and put Cyclops to the test. It was a good thing that we had already identified the need for internal strengthening. Covid was the trigger to kick it off.
After almost 5 years of start-up mentality as a company strategy, it was time to start building a real one. No more ‘first, let’s try to survive’, but a strategy that would make the company have a clear heading.
The first step was putting the mission and vision statement on paper. Although everybody knows what those are, they are hard to explain. Let alone live by them, if you have never put them on paper. All organizations should at some point ‘put them on the wall’, where they can see them every single day in order to maintain the company authenticity.
Now some of you might think, how did a company survive 5 years without a strategy? Well the fact is, Cyclops did have a strategy: growing, taking up more projects by more people for more customers. And all this while being professional, transparent and honest towards our customers, and of course also having fun. To succeed in its growth, Cyclops has set clear and measurable objectives every year. Hard work made sure that we achieved them.
However, a clear long-term plan is not reflected in yearly objectives. It starts by following a process where a strategy map is drawn from mission to vision, where highly abstract strategic goals are set and brought down to operational goals. That process requires a lot of time and effort.
And that is exactly what Cyclops has been doing. During the pandemic, we have prepared a complete strategy plan in several sessions in which each topic was tackled separately. From Mission to Vision, from SWOT to PESTEL, from Strategic to Operational… Not only the Cyclops management team was involved. A number of the employees of Cyclops were as well, since we hope they will also be part of our future!
We are preparing ourselves for the future. Also in uncertain times. Are you?